Luminous attachment for door locks



May 27, 1952 B. HEINZ 2,598,376

LUMINOUS ATTACHMENT FOR DOQR L/.IOCKS Filed May 28, 1951 2 SHEETS-SHEET l 7&5? Y 7.7- 421 ATTORNEYS May 27, 1952 B. HEINZ 2,598,376

LUMINOUS ATTACHMENT FOR DOOR LOCKS Filed May 28, 1951 2 SHEETS--SHEET 2 Bernavv z'nz ATTORNEYS' Patented May 27, 1952 UNITED STATESk PATENT OFFICE 2,598,376 LUlVIINOUS ATTACHIHEN'I.' FOR DOOR LOCKS Bernard Heinz, Scranton, Pa. Application May 28, 1951, Serial No. 228,691

4 Claims. (Cl. Z50-76) This invention relates to a luminous attachment for door locks.

An object of this invention is to provide an attachment which may be readily and quickly attached to a door lock whereby the keyhole for the lock will be made luminous so as to make the keyhole or barrel visible in the dark.

Another object of this invention is to provide a luminous attachment for door locks which also includes an improved key guide formed with an outer convex guiding surface to g-uide the key to the keyhole.

A further object of this invention is to provide an attachment of this kind which includes a base ring or element adapted to be xedly secured as by cement or the like to the lock structure about the barrel with a luminous ring threaded or otherwise removably mounted within the base or fixed ring so that in the event the luminous material such as radium or the like carried by the latter ring becomes 'bad or inoperative, the removable ring may be taken from the base ring and another removable ring substituted therefor so that the barrel of the lock will be maintained visible in the dark.

A further object of this invention is to provide a luminous attachment of this kind which is so constructed that the luminous material will be diused throughout the ring structure so that only a relatively narrow insert of the luminous material may be disposed within the removable ring.

A further object of this invention is to provide an attachment of this kind which can be readily adapted to various types and mak-es of locks.

With'the above and other objects in view, my invention consists in the arrangement, com-bination and details of construction disclosed in the drawings and specication, and then more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a detailed front elevation of a luminous attachment for locks constructed according to an embodiment of this invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2 2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional View taken on the line 3-3 of Figure l.

Figure 4 is a detailed front elevation of a modified form of this invention.

Figure 5 is a sectional view of another modied form of this invention.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 6 5 of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a sectional view showing another modification of this invention.

Referring to the drawings the numeral I0 designates generally a base ring which may be formed out of plastic or other suitable composition material. The ring Ill in the present instance is secured to or formed integral with a disc-shaped plate I I having a marginal flange I2 which is adapted to engage about a lock housing i3. .The ring Ill is eccentrically disposed with respect tothe plate II and is disposed concentrically about the lock barrel I4 which is carried by the lock housing I3.

The plate I I is secured to the outer side of the lock housing I3 by means ofy cement I5. A key guiding member I6 of circular form is secured as by cement I'I to the outer end of the lock barrel i4 and is provided with an annular marginal flange I8 on the inner end thereof. The key guiding member I6 is formed with a key slot I9 which conforms substantially to the key slot in the barrel I Il, and the guide I6 is formed with a convex inwardly tapering outer surface 20 which provides a means to guide the key toward the key hole I9.

The guide member I6 is formed with a cylindrical outer side 2l and is also provided with an annular groove 22 within which a luminous element 23 in the form of radium or the like is adapted to be seated. The key guide I6 is preferably formed out of Yplastic material,- and by forming the outer side or end of the guide member I6 with a convex surface 2|] the effect of this convexity of the guide member I6 is such as to diiuse the luminosity of the radium 23l substantially throughout the body of the g-uide I 6.

A removable luminous ring generally designated as 24 is removably mounted on the base ring I 0 and includes an outer ring body 25 having a convex cuter surface 26. The lbody 23 has extending from the inner end thereof a cylindrical iiange 2l formed with threads 28 adapted to engage complementary threads carried by the inner side of the base ring I II.

The ring body 25 is adapted to abut against the outer end of the base ring I0 and the body 25 is formed with an annular groove 29 confronting the outer end of the base ring I0 within which a luminous element 39 such as radium or the like is adapted to be seated. The convexity of the outer side of the ring 25 provides a means whereby the luminosity oi the radium 30 will be diffused substantially throughout the ring body 25. The inner end of the cylindrical flange 23 is adapted to confront the flange I8 carried by the guide I6 so that in the event the guide member I6 should become loose, this guide member will be held against removal or loss from the ange 2l.

Referring now to Figure 4, there is disclosed a modied form of this invention wherein the ring structure 24a which is carried by the base ring 10a is mounted on a plate 3l which is of a size less than the size of the lock` housing |311. In other respects the structure shown in Figure 4 is identical with that shown in Figures 1 and 2. As shown in Figure 1 a drain hole 32 is provided in the lower portion of the base ring lll` and a similar drain hole 32a is formed in the lower portion of the base ring 10a.

In Figure 5 there is disclosed another modification of this invention wherein the base ring 33-is adapted for xed mounting on the outer end of a cylindrical shell 34 having an inturned outer end 35. The shell 34 encompasses` a lock housing 36 of a type used in certain motor Vehicles, and the lock barrel 31 projects slightly from the outer end of the lock housing 36. A key guide 38 simi- 1arte-the key, guide i6 is iixedly secured as by cementf39 v'to the outer end of the lock barrel 31; and the; guide 38 includes an outer annular flange-40. @Thebase ring 33 is formed with a cylindrical flange 4l engaging about the shell 34 and secured vthereto-as by cement `42.

Y A lguide retaining 'ring generally designated as vLrwhich is'similar to the guide retaining or lock- A ingring 24-isthreaded into the base ring 33 as indicated at^44fandy a-luminous element 45 is mounted in an annular groove 46 formed in the retaining Iring-43. The guide member 38 is also Vformed with agroove 41=in the outer cylindrical sidefthereofwithin which a luminous element 48 such -as' Vradiumisadapted to be seated.

Referr-ngnew to Eigure there is disclosed another modication of this invention wherein the attachmentisV designed for mounting on the outer end of a door knob 49 having a lock barrel within'Whichr-v a second lock barrel 50 is rotatably mounted.

yA ibase'A ring1-5lfsimilar to the ring -I has a flared plate 52 extending therefrom which is formed withjan outer annular flange 53, and the plate-52 With-the ange 53 is secured to the bevelledouten side "54M of '-,the knob by means of cement55-or;1the like. Akey; guide 56 similar in Vevery detail to the guide i6 is secured as by cement 51 Atothe -outer -end of the lock barrel 50, and the guide-5 @which is formedwith an annular -outer flange=58 is retained loosely Within the base ring 5I-bygmeans of afretaining ring 59 similar in every detail tothe-retaining ring 24.

The-guide -56-.has a luminous element 60 in the outer cylindrical side thereof, and the retaining ring 59 has a-luminous element 6I disposed in 5 the inner end `thereof confronting the outer end of the base ring 5 I What is claimed is:

1. A luminous attachment for a lock having a lock housing and a lock barrel, said attachment comprising an annular base member adapted for iixed attachment to the lock housing, a key guide having an outer annular ange and formed with a convex outer end, a retaining ring threaded onto said base member and engaging loosely about said guide, a luminous element carried bysaid guide,

and a luminous element carried by said ring.

2. A luminous attachment for a lock having a lock housing and a lock barrel, said attachment comprising an annular base member adapted for fixed attachment to the lock housing, a plate carried by said base member, an outer flange carried by said plate engageable about the lock housing, a key guide having an outer annular flange and formed with a convex outer end, a retaining ring threaded onto said base member and engaging loosely about'said guide, a luminous .element carried by said guide, and a luminous-element carried by said ring` 3. A luminous attachment for a lock-having= a lock housing and a lock barrel, saidv attachment comprising an annular base member adapted for nxed attachment tothe lock housing, `an 4annular flange carried by said base memberengageable about the .lockhousing/ a. key guideehaving an outer annular ange and formed Withv a-convex outer end, a retaining ring threaded-ronto-'said base member and engaging loosely.aboutvfsaid guide, a luminous *elementy carried bysaid guide, and a luminous element .carried by saidaring.

4. A luminous attachment for a. lock-having a lock housing and a. lock barrel, said attachment comprising an annular'. base memberxadapted for attachment to .thelock housing,. akeyfguide member within said .base .memben angannular flange carried by. said guide member; a4 retaining member for said guide member, vsaid retaining` BERNARD HEINZ.

REFERENCES' CITED The following references are of record in the rile-of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name l Date 273,685 rHuntley Mar.,..6,'j1883 1,263,889 Glossop Apr`.23,v 1918 1,385,300 Bohrdt July 19,v 1921 2,188,264 Fordyce J an.,.23,Y 1940 

